Who is Michael Owen Morris in EastEnders? BBC soap pays tribute to long-running director

Tribute has been paid to the late Michael Owen Morris by the BBC One soap opera EastEnders.

At the end of the episode broadcast on 28 September 2026, a tribute graphic was shown with a photo of the television director and producer who died earlier this year.

The graphic reads "In loving memory" and shares an image of the man himself, who has gone down in history as one of EastEnders' most prolific directors and lived from 1947 until he died in 2026.

Michael Owen Morris was a television director and one of the longest-running directors on EastEnders.

Morris regularly directed episodes on the soap starting in 2003 all the way until 2019, meaning he worked with multiple executive producers, including Louise Berridge, Kate Harwood, Diederick Santer, Bryan Kirkwood, Lorraine Newman, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Sean O'Connor, John Yorke, and Kate Oates.

During this time, he also produced several episodes and also helmed the spin-off special Pat & Mo in 2004, which centred on the backstory of Pat Evans (Pat St. Clement) and Mo Harris (Laila Morse) in their youth.

• Read More: EastEnders legend Adam Woodyatt and more reveal how continuing drama continues to open doors in television

Morris made one final return to helm an episode of the soap in 2023 under executive producer Chris Clenshaw for the special episode set in France that revealed how Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) had been alive despite her presumed death in 1998 and was now living with Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) and son Peter (Thomas Law). The episode also featured a return for Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa). So, this was an episode of returns for those in front of and behind the camera!

Outside of EastEnders, Morris worked on BBC productions such as The Onedin Line, Doctor Who, Vanity Fair (1987), Tenko, Holby City and Casualty.

Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google.

Read more:

• 5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Amy Mitchell sucked deeper into evil Craig Ingram's toxic orbit and Nicola Mitchell showdown with Ned Hawkins
• EastEnders legend Jo Joyner returns to Walford set for Branning 'family reunion' - 8 years after last Tanya appearance
• EastEnders star teases "fire and carnage" when Penny Branning's baby paternity secret is revealed
• EastEnders favourite Balvinder Sopal teases Ash return is "grenade" to the Panesar family unit this autumn
• EastEnders announces hard-hitting Amy Mitchell storyline as BBC soap works with charities

Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.

Add EastEnders to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Lewis is the News and Trends Editor at Radio Times and leads our approach to news, reactive content, and serving audience demands and interests. An obsessive fan of television and film, Lewis is a Nicole Kidman fanatic with a side of passion for science-fiction, art-house cinema and the latest HBO drama. Lewis has a degree in Psychology and a Masters in Film Studies. After working in advertising, Lewis worked at The Mirror for three years in community management and SEO, showbiz, film and television reporting.